8 things Las Vegans forget about every summer

Another summer in the Las Vegas Valley, another three to four months taking about “dry heat” and trying to avoid boiling-point level hot steering wheels.

Some things are constant, year after year, like the moth “invasion” every spring, but Las Vegans tend to forget about it until it happens again, like many elements of summer in Las Vegas.

For long-time residents — or even those who have undergone only one valley summer — some of the special details are forgotten until it’s too late. So here are eight things residents tend to forget about Las Vegas summers:

Driving on the freeway turns into a game of “avoid the tire”

Or tire part, chunk, half. Tires are more susceptible to popping or going flat on the hot valley roads, but even more so at high speeds, leaving parts of tires all over the valley freeways on a regular basis.

The sewage smell that makes you think, “Was it always that bad?”

It wasn’t, the sun just likes to heat things up a bit and unfortunately, you can’t escape the smell of hot sewage in certain parts of the valley.

Just how long it lasts

With the Summer Solstice on June 21, Las Vegans know all too well they are already enduring some of its worst temperatures. When the summer “technically” ends on September 23, other major cities are already raking leaves and wearing coats. Las Vegas is still sweating.

The inescapable cicada hiss

If you don’t know what a cicada is, it’s this. They’re responsible for the valley-wide hissing noise on some of the hottest days of the year. The first time Las Vegans notice the sound, all 113 degrees that day ring true.

Rolling your eyes at “but it’s a dry heat”

Yeah, the 115 degrees is really dry when your back is coated in sweat from a five minute drive to the market.

Realizing how much money you spend on A/C and gas

Gas costs rise every summer, but pair that with how quickly your car is eating it up to keep your fan going on setting four, and you’re going from filling up every other week to filling up twice a week.

Windy days = hairdryer for your whole body

Because what’s worse than egg-frying temperatures? Being pelted with it at 30 miles per hour.

Getting caught in orange cone season

The summer in Las Vegas means its construction season, or as some say, orange cone season. While construction is obviously a good sign for the economy, waiting 15 minutes to turn left from a block away is no fun.

Contact Kristen DeSilva at 702-477-3895 or kdesilva@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @kristendesilva